Improved ditching-machine



.A Tns PATENT EDVI). HEATH, OF FOWLERVILLE, NEW YGRK.

IMPROVED DlTCHlNG-IVIACHINE.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,1113, dat-cd October 2, 1866.

constructing a machine that the ground may be ditched rapidly and to any desired depth for laying tile for the purpose of draining land.

It more particularly consists in the peculiar and novel manncrby which I produce a lon gitudinal motion to the excavator or digger and a lateral motion to the scraper through the medium of the same cross-head.

It also consists in the novel manner by which the machine is propelled forward by means of the same cross-head.

It has for a long time been the great desideratuin of agriculturists and inventors to i11- troduce or devise some means by which lands might be drained and utilized and made valuable and productive. This, to a certain ezttent, has been accomplished in some localities; but the machines invented and introduced for this purpose have been cumbersome and expensive, so much so that farmers of limited means could not avail themselves of the use of so costly a machine. By my invention these objections and difticulties are overcome, from the fact that there is but little iron required in its construction, and that a common carpenter can build it at an expense ot' from seventy-ive to one hundred dollars, thus'bringing it within the reach of farmers of very limited means. The utility and advantages of myinvention will be at once seen from the fact that it is well known that lands ot a clay soil in their natural state are wet and cold, and are not in a suitable condition to work until late in the season, while the same land drained becomes in a condition to work much earlier, and rendered much more productive than when not drained, by which lands may be reclaimed and made productive and valuable by my invention.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure l is a top-plan View ot' my improved ditching-machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation taken from the line X X.

Letters of like name and kind reter to like parts in each of the iigures.

In Fig. l, A represents a truck of ordinary construction, mounted on four wheels, B B B B. From near the center of the truck-frame A are two upright posts, upon the top of which' is a cross-beam, D, and near the middle of these posts is another cross-beam E, which runs from post to post, and secured thereto. To these cross-beams is an upright shaft, F, on the top or" which is secured a sweep or long lever, G, to which the team is attached to operate the machine. The shaft Fruns in proper bearings, at the lower end of which is a crank, H, which is attached to the pitman I at one end, and the other end of the pitman is connected to the cross-head J, which reciprocates on the slides K K.

To the cross-headJ are two connecting-rods attachethand extend back and connect with the digger S, the said digger being connected to the frame O, which is attached to a rockshaft, l?, which works upon the upright-s Q Q.

On the connecting-rods L L is attached a scraper, It, for the purpose ot' removing the dirt from the digger as it is brought to the surface of the ground.

Upon the rock-shaft I? is a spring catch or latch, T, that at each motion of the digger engages wit-h the digger, and holds it up in its backward motion into the ditch, for the purpose of removing and preventing any loose dirt from falling back into the ditch.

V is also a latch, kept in position by the spring V. W is a scraper, for the purpose of removingthe earth from the ditch and leveling the same. This scraper is worked by means of a lug or pin, A2, attached to the crossheads J said pin A2 works against the bars B2 and B2.

C2 is a ratchet-wheel, in which the pawls D2. and D3 work. To the shaft of the ratchetwheel C2 is a lever, H2, extending down and engages with lugs in the` bar. is attached to the cross-head J.

This bar B2 2 5eme The operation consists in placing the machine upon the ground where it is desired a ditch should be made. The team is then attached to the sweeps or arms G. The team then moves in a circle corresponding with the radius of the arms. This puts in motion the cross-head, through the medium of the pitman,

which also impartsmotion, through the me dium of the'connecting-rods L L, which are attached to the excavator or di ggcr, the crosshead having a regular reciprocating motion. The cross-head also imparts a lateral motion to the scraper WV, through the medium of the bars B2 B2.

It will be understood that as the cross-head reciprocates, the bars B2 B2 are caught at the end by the pin A2, which, being attached by a joint with the cross-bar of the scraper W, and the scraper is forced one side when on the return of the cross-heads the other bar is brought in such a position by moans of the springs, so that the pin engages it, and the scraper is again forced back, so that a continual lateral motion is kept up, and a regula-r motion is also kept upon ,the excavatoror digger.

' The whole machine has a forward movement at every backward movement'of the diggers, through the medium of the ratchet-wheel G2 land lever H2 from the cross-head J.

It will be observed that a chain, N, is fitted to a toothed wheel, I2, upon the shaft of the ratchet-wheel C2. The said chain is anchored forward of the machine, and passes from the anchor over the toothed wheel 12, and as the chain is drawn by the wheel the whole machine is moved along.

M is a bridge for the purpose of passing over from one side of the ditch to the other. c a are cutters to cut the earth, so as to prevent the excavator from breaking it up.

Having thus vdescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A ditching-machine so constructed as that the cross-head will impart a longitudinal motion to excavators and a lateral motion to the scraper at l the same time, substantially and for the purposes herein described. v

2. The cross-head J, pitman I, and crankH, in combination with the bar E2, lever H2, and ratchet-wheel (1.2, all for the purposes and substantially as herein set forth.

3. The excavator Sand pitmen LL, in combination with the spring-catch T and rock-shaft P, substantially and for the purposes described.

4. The scraper R, in combination with the excavator S, for the purposes and substantially as described.

EDWARD HEATH.A

Witnesses:

J oI-IN WILLIAMS, N. C. REFIELD. 

